Islamic Law Criticized Globally

From Brianna Howell:

Afghanistan's government has recently approved a law that would legalize rape within marriages. This law has stemmed from Afghanistan's conservative Islamic (Shi'ite) fundamentalists who say that this law was passed in order "to preserve their identity among the majority Sunni population." Allegedly, Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, rushed this legislation through parliament in order to please the Islamic voters before the upcoming election. There has been much controversy over this law on both the national and international level. In response to this, Obama has stated the following: "We think that it is very important for us to be sensitive to local culture, but we also think that there are certain basic principles that all nations should uphold, and respect for women and respect for their freedom and integrity is an important principle." It is easy to see how the integration of church and state could become such a burden: On one hand, religious beliefs must be protected and on the other, human rights must be.. where is the line drawn? Many human rights groups are also in an uproar about this legislation as well as leaders from Germany and France. Afghan lawmaker, Fawzia Koofi, stated that women and children are always the victims of political games and hopes that the supreme court withdraws this legislation preserving equal rights to all citizens.